“Instead of succumbing to miseries, I took charge of my life and SHGs helped me”

Sukari Nag of Neganar village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh recounts the story of her life – in her own words.

Childhood is supposed to be colourful and joyous. But mine was extremely different. When I was eight years old, my father was killed due to a land dispute.

We were five girls and I was the second. My elder sister and I had to look after our siblings and manage the household chores. 

My childhood days were spent working in the agricultural fields, grazing animals, fetching water, chopping fodder and collecting firewood. 

Because of our financial problems, I was married in 1994 when I was 16. I gave birth to a child after a year. 

But my woes seemed to follow me. My world was shattered when tuberculosis snatched away my husband, Bulku Nag. 

I faced the same emotional struggles as I did when I lost my father. 

Losing my husband led to a life of hardship. 

Rather than succumbing to my abject miseries, I decided to take charge of my life boat. 

I had two acres of land. But the yield was so low I earned Rs 600 per year growing paddy. 

How will that be enough? So I gathered firewood from the forests. By selling the enormous bundles of firewood in nearby markets, I earned Rs 20 per day. 

I worked in others’ fields for Rs 10 per day. Slowly, I managed to meet my family’s needs. 

Still it was a very tough phase emotionally, mentally and financially. 

Seeing my agony, my mother-in-law insisted that I should remarry at least for my son. So when I was 28, I remarried Soma Baghel, a farmer. My mother-in-law chose him. We live in Neganar.  

In 2013, PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) started working in the villages of Neganar panchayat.  At their meetings I learned the importance of self-help groups (SHGs) and joined a group in my village. I was even elected as the group’s president. 

We went to Gumla and Koderma in Jharkhand to see how SHG federations functioned.

After coming back, we started a village organisation. For the VO also I was elected president. 

My life started changing as I was indirectly shouldering responsibilities of many other families whose women were attached to SHGs. 

I encouraged other women to form SHGs. I wanted to lead the women of my area just like the truly empowered women leaders of Jharkhand.

In 2017, after attending a training session, I started working as a pashu sakhi (paravet). 

I’d travel to nearby villages and give vaccines to chickens and goats. Soon, the income of the livestock rearers started increasing. It made me very happy. 

I was apprehensive initially as usually the paravets are men. But people understood the value of my services, recognised me and poured their blessings on me. I’ve been able to break myths. My work is fulfilling. 

I earn Rs 30,000 for working as pashu sakhi and Rs 10,000 from poultry farming. Overall I earn Rs 1 lakh annually.

I visit other villages and share my experiences. 

When I see other widows, I understand their grief. But life doesn’t stop there. 

I tell them: Women like us need to stand up, speak for ourselves and face life’s challenges.